Please Note:
This solicitation does NOT include requests for applications for Clean Water
Commerce Act and Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. See
information at the end of this announcement regarding these programs.
**CRITICALLY IMPORTANT**
DUNS numbers are being phased out and replaced with
"UEI" Unique Entity Identification effective 4/4/2022. A recipient
will not be able to accept awards without an UEI number. Information regarding
the UEI can be found at SAM.gov.
Federal FY22 Loan and State
FY24 Grant from Water Quality Financing Administration (WQFA)
For
more information, please contact Jeff Fretwell at jeffrey.fretwell@maryland.gov
Water
Quality State Revolving Loan Fund – Low interest rate loan and loan principal forgiveness
(if eligible) for publicly-owned treatment works projects and publicly or
privately-owned non-treatment works projects.
Drinking
Water State Revolving Fund – Low interest rate loan and loan principal forgiveness (if
eligible) for public or privately-owned drinking water projects.
Bay
Restoration Fund Wastewater Program - Grant funds for
·
ENR
upgrade at major or minor wastewater treatment plants
·
Improvements
to existing wastewater conveyance systems
·
Sewer
extension to connect homes on septic systems to a BNR/ENR wastewater treatment
plant
·
Nitrogen
reducing BAT upgrade at shared community septic systems
·
Stormwater
(MS4) projects by local governments with a system of charges
·
Climate
resiliency and flood control
Water
Supply Financial Assistance - Grant funds not to exceed $1.5 million for drinking
projects at publicly-owned facilities, based on system size, compliance, and
affordability.
If
your project will be ready-to-proceed to construction by December 2023, please
complete a separate application for each capital project* for which you are
seeking financial assistance and submit to MDE per instructions provided in the
application. If you previously applied
for financial assistance and your project was only partially or not funded, a
new/updated application is required.
*
Applicants with stormwater projects to meet MS4 permits, sewer overflow
abatement projects, and sewer extension projects may (and are strongly encouraged
to) submit multiple projects that will start construction within 12 – 18 months
of notification of funding as a “program” of projects using a single funding
application (as opposed to submitting individual projects in separate
applications).
Projects in construction prior to MDE’s verification
of competitive procurement and compliance with all programmatic requirements
will not be funded. Do not submit
applications for projects that are, or will be, in construction prior to these
reviews being completed by MDE.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the
template grant and loan agreements posted here to be aware of funding commitments.
Please
Note: Applications will only be accepted electronically – see instructions in
each application.
Application for Water Quality Capital Projects
Application for Drinking
Water Capital Projects
State FY24 Comprehensive Flood Management Grant (FMG)
For
more information, please contact Jeff Fretwell at jeffrey.fretwell@maryland.gov
MDE invites Counties and Municipalities
to send applications for the 2024 fiscal year. Applications and supporting
documents are due to MDE by January 31, 2022. Notification that your
project was selected will be made after the 2023 Maryland General Assembly
approves the State’s capital budget. Awards will be made after the Maryland
Board of Public Works approval. Links to the application are below.
FY24 MDE
FMG Application Form
FY24 MDE
FMG Grant Ranking Criteria
·
Please Note: All applications for Comprehensive Flood Management Grant
Program funds will only be accepted electronically via email.
·
In one email, please submit one Signed copy of the complete
application, including all attachments, all supporting documents, and provide a
FIRMette created from FEMA’s Map Service Center website, https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home, a map from our outreach website, https://mdfloodmaps.net/, or GIS map with the location
of the project clearly identified. Please
note: maximum file size that can be accepted via email is 25MB. Please
contact Jeff Fretwell at jeffrey.fretwell@maryland.gov if you have any questions.
·
ALL EMAIL APPLICATIONS ARE
DUE BY 11:59 PM on JANUARY 31, 2022
·
Submit the application to mde.wqfa_announcement@maryland.gov.
·
It is important to identify this application
as a Comprehensive Flood Management Grant application. Please specify by
including in the subject line, Flood Application.
******
The Clean
Water Commerce Act of 2021 significantly altered the programmatic
requirements of the previous Act. MDE is
revising regulations, and preparing new documents to meet these requirements.
Once these documents are available, MDE will broadcast a solicitation for
funding applications. MDE anticipates this to be early in calendar year 2022.
Additionally,
Maryland is slated to receive additional federal funding from the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 in the Water Quality and Drinking Water
Revolving Loan Funds. This Act provides increased funds for the “traditional”
projects that are eligible for the Water Quality and Drinking Water Revolving
Loan funds. This Act also provides additional funds for lead service line
replacement and emerging contaminants.
At this time, programmatic requirements are still being compiled by
EPA. Once MDE receives this information, along with guidance documents, MDE
will prepare solicitations for this funding. If you are interested in
receiving an email specific to lead service line replacement or emerging contaminants, please send an email to mde.wqfa_announcement@maryland.gov with either Lead Service Line or Emerging Contaminants (or both) in the subject line. Please request to be included in
the solicitation when it becomes available to be sure MDE has your accurate
information.
The mission of the Maryland Water Quality Financing Administration (MWQFA) is to provide financial assistance in the form of low interest rate loans and grant funding for water quality and drinking water capital projects across the State.
Both loan programs receive federal funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and offer below market interest rate loans to eligible borrowers, while ensuring the perpetuity of the revolving funds.
MWQFA is authorized to issue revenue bonds subject to approval of the State Board of Public Works and Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment. Bonds issued by MWQFA do not constitute a debt or the full faith and credit pledge of the State or any political subdivision. The bonds are paid solely from MWQFA revenues as pledged under the bond indenture for each of the above Funds.
MWQFA works very closely with MDE’s Engineering and Capital Projects Program (ECPP, formerly the Water Quality Infrastructure Program). ECPP is responsible for management of water quality, drinking water, and stormwater and flood mitigation capital projects to protect public health and water quality.
